Facebook has announced that they will be banning advertisements and listings in their Marketplace feature for medical face masks as the coronavirus pandemic heats up, depriving their users of crucial medical supplies when they need them the most.

Facebook Director of Product Management Rob Leathern made the announcement in a Twitter post last week.

Update: We’re banning ads and commerce listings selling medical face masks. We’re monitoring COVID19 closely and will make necessary updates to our policies if we see people trying to exploit this public health emergency. We’ll start rolling out this change in the days ahead.

— Rob Leathern (@robleathern) March 7, 2020

Trending: Mike Lee Passes Big Tech H-1B Visa Giveaway in Senate Without Objection

There has been a controversy over whether or not face masks do anything prevent the spread of coronavirus in recent weeks, as people have rushed to buy them in an attempt to stop themselves from being infected.

The Guardian admitted on Sunday that face masks are an effective, if not foolproof, way of preventing the spread of the disease:

Wearing a face mask is certainly not an iron-clad guarantee that you won’t get sick – viruses can also transmit through the eyes and tiny viral particles, known as aerosols, can penetrate masks. However, masks are effective at capturing droplets, which is a main transmission route of coronavirus, and some studies have estimated a roughly fivefold protection versus no barrier alone (although others have found lower levels of effectiveness).

If you are likely to be in close contact with someone infected, a mask cuts the chance of the disease being passed on. If you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, or have been diagnosed, wearing a mask can also protect others. So masks are crucial for health and social care workers looking after patients and are also recommended for family members who need to care for someone who is ill – ideally both the patient and carer should have a mask.

This hasn’t stopped tirades from so-called medical experts chiding concerned individuals for buying face masks in an attempt to prevent infection.

“There are severe strains on protective equipment around the world,” said Dr. Michael J. Ryan, who works as executive director for the health emergency program at the World Health Organization, during a briefing in February. “Our primary concern is to ensure that our front line health workers are protected and that they have the equipment they need to do their jobs.”

“Not having a mask does not necessarily put you at any increased risk of contracting this disease,” Dr. Ryan said.

“There is no role for these masks in the community,” said Robert Redfield, who works as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “These masks need to be prioritized for health care professionals that as part of their job are taking care of individuals.”

“Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!” the U.S. Surgeon General wrote in a tweet. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!”

The masks are only for the official health care experts, the government bureaucrats claim, while the ordinary person should not have access to the additional protection. Facebook is yet again serving the globalists by making it more difficult for individuals to access face masks, as they try to protect themselves as coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world with no sign of slowing.